As shown in FIG. 74, a disk changer 490 comprises a plate-shaped turntable 492 on which a plurality of mounting portions (three in FIG. 74) for mounting disks 10 thereon is formed, and a tray 494 on which the turntable 492 is rotatably disposed. Namely, the disk changer 490 is provided with a rotation mechanism for rotating the turntable 492, and a slide mechanism for sliding the tray 494.
The tray 494 slides along the base 496 by the slide mechanism, and is ejected from or returned to a door leaf of the apparatus body. In other words, an unillustrated “eject” button is pressed to pull the tray 494 out from or pull the tray 494 back to the door leaf of the apparatus body.
In the state in which the tray 494 is pulled out from the door leaf of the apparatus body, one of the mounting portions of the turntable 492 that comes on this side of the tray 494 has no disks or is vacant. Further, concave portions having diameters of two types are formed on each mounting portion so as to correspond to both 12 cm-disk and 8 cm-disk (not shown). Moreover, the disk 10 is chucked by an unillustrated damper at a damper holding portion 493 and an unillustrated turntable of a disk reproducing apparatus beneath the turntable 492 so as to face this clamper, and then reproduced.
A user mounts a disk on the mounting portion that is made vacant by pressing the unillustrated button. The tray 494 is pulled back into the apparatus body by repressing the “eject” button. The disk is reproduced or the like by pressing an unillustrated “play” button.
The rotation mechanism for rotating the turntable 492 and the slide mechanism for sliding the tray 494 are provided at the disk changer 490 shown in FIG. 74, whereby the structure of the disk changer 490 becomes more complicated and the manufacturing cost thereof becomes higher.
In the disk changer 490, since a plurality of disks must be arranged on the same plane of the turntable 492, the tray 494 must be spacious.
As shown in FIG. 75, a disk player 80 comprises a plate-shaped mounting table 82, a turntable 84, a ring-shaped damper 90, and unillustrated first moving means. Mounting portions 83A and 83B are formed on the mounting table 82 concentric with each other, and a 12 cm-disk (not shown) is mounted on the mounting portion 83A or an 8 cm-disk (not shown) is mounted on the mounting portion 83B. The turntable 84 is disposed so as to move vertically along the mounting table 82. The ring-shaped damper 90 is disposed so as to face the turntable 84. The mounting table 82 is movably disposed at the first moving means. Further, if a plurality of the mounting portions 83A and 83B are provided on the mounting table 82, the disk apparatus 80 functions as a disk changer.
The turntable 84 comprises a metal ring portion 85A at a portion at which the disk 10 is mounted, and a trunk portion 85B whose outer diameter is slightly smaller than an inner diameter of a hole of the disk 10. Further, the upper end of the trunk portion 85B is tapered. Moreover, a motor shaft 87 of a motor 86 is fixed to the bottom portion of the turntable 84, and when the motor 86 is driven, the turntable 84 is rotated.
The mounting portions 83A and 83B of the mounting table 82 are respectively caved so as to correspond to the 12 cm-disk 10 and the 8 cm-disk 10. Further, each of the mounting portions 83A and 83B has a through hole 82A through which the turntable 84 is passed. The through hole 82A has a diameter that is slightly larger than that of the ring portion 85A of the turntable 84.
Therefore, the turntable 84 moves vertically along the mounting table 82 that stops at a predetermined position, while passing through the through hole 82A. Namely, the turntable 84 moves the disk 10 up/down with respect to the mounting portion 83A.
The damper 90 is rotatably mounted to a supporting portion 94, and has a ring-shaped magnet 92. Further, an unillustrated hole is formed at the damper 90 so as to correspond to the configuration of the trunk portion 85B of the turntable 84. When the trunk portion 85B passes through the unillustrated hole, the magnet 92 magnetically attracting the ring portion 85A of the metal turntable 84 chucks the damper 90 (including the magnet 92) and the turntable 84 with each other.
On the other hand, in the disk apparatus 80 that is shown in FIG. 75, the disk 10 is chucked by moving the turntable 84 having the disk 10 mounted on the mounting portion 83A upward. When the disk 10 is not appropriately mounted on the mounting portion 83A, i.e., when the disk 10 is displaced from the mounting portion 83A, the disk 10 cannot be chucked. Thus, if the disk apparatus 80 is simply structured so as to mount the disk 10 on the mounting portion 83A, the disk 10 always needs be parallel with the mounting portion 83A.
In the disk apparatus 80, the mounting portion 83A or 83B on which a 12 cm-disk or an 8 cm-disk 10 is mounted must be formed on the mounting table 82 to be concentric with each other. Further, in order to appropriately mount on the mounting portion 83A of the mounting table 82 a so-called deformed disk which is formed into a heart shaped configuration or the like, it is necessary to correspond the configuration of the mounting portion 83A to that of the deformed disk. However, it is difficult to make the configuration of the mounting portion 83A correspond to various configurations of the deformed disks.
Accordingly, it is difficult to appropriately mount and chuck all of the disks such as the deformed disks onto the mounting portion 83A or 83B. A problem is caused in that smooth and reliable chucking cannot be conducted on all of the disks.
Further, when the turntable is attached to the mounting table 82, in order to connect the motor to the turntable, connection portions of the motor and the turntable are reliably positioned at a predetermined position therebetween. On the other hand, if a distance between a disk surface of the disk attached to the turntable and a pickup varies, a focal distance between the disk surface and the pickup may displace, and thereby causes a problem in that a focus servo control does not work successfully.
The distance between the disk surface and the pickup should be strictly adjusted such that the tolerance of the distance with respect to a reference value is ±0.1 mm. Further, during the rotation of the turntable, when the rotation center is displaced in the radial direction thereof, a case in which a tracking serve control does not work appropriately. As described above, if the focus servo control or the tracking servo control does not work appropriately, a case occurs in which a reproducing operation cannot be carried out.
A conventional disk changer comprises a tray on which a plurality of turntables on each of which a disk is mounted is disposed, a motor for the tray that rotates the tray by being connected to the tray, a pickup for reproducing data from the disk mounted on the turntable, a spindle of a spindle motor that is connected to the turntable, a chassis on which the spindle motor and the pickup are disposed, and a motor for the chassis for moving the chassis so that the spindle is connected to the turntable of the tray.
When a disk mounted on the turntable is reproduced, after the disk-change has been carried out, the spindle and the turntable must be connected to each other. Namely, the tray is rotated through the motor for the tray, so that the turntable having a disk mounted thereon corresponds to the spindle of the chassis. Thereafter, the chassis is moved (upward) through the motor for the chassis in order to connect the spindle to the turntable of the tray.
Further, in the conventional disk changer, a rotational movement of the tray and a (vertical) movement of the chassis have been performed by separate motors comprising a motor for the tray and a motor for the chassis. Therefore, in the conventional disk changer, since two motors have been required, separate gears have been also required for forming a driving path for the motors. Accordingly, the conventional disk changer requires more parts, needs be structured in a more complicated manner, and is thereby manufactured at more expense.
As described above, among the conventional disk changers, there has been provided a type of a disk changer comprising a tray in which a plurality of turntables on each of which a disk is mounted is disposed, a pickup for reproducing data from the disks mounted on the turntables, and a spindle of a spindle motor that is connected to each of the turntables, and a chassis on which the spindle motor and the pickup are disposed.
The aforementioned type of the disk changer is structured such that the turntables that are rotatably disposed on the tray and the spindle of the spindle motor that is disposed at the chassis can be separated from each other. For this reason, in the state in which each of the turntables and the spindle are not connected to each other (such as in a disk-change mode), for example, the bottom surface of each of the turntable abuts the upper surface of the tray.
On the other hand, in the state in which the turntable and the spindle are connected to each other (such as in a play mode), for example, in order not to damage a rotation of the turntable, the spindle is used to separate (float) the turntable from the tray and prevent the turntable and the tray from abutting to each other.
When a disk mounted on the turntable is reproduced, after a disk-change has been carried out, the spindle and the turntable must be connected to each other. Namely, the tray is rotated so as to correspond the turntable having a disk mounted thereon to the spindle of the chassis, and thereafter, the chassis is moved (upward) so that the spindle is connected to the turntable of the tray.
In the conventional disk changer described above, since the turntable disposed on the tray and the spindle of the spindle motor disposed on the chassis are structured to be separated from each other, a gap (play) must be formed between the turntable and the tray in order to separate (float) the turntable from the tray.
In the state in which the turntable and the tray are not connected to each other, for example, during the disk-change during which the tray is rotating or while the disk apparatus is being carried, a play between the turntable and the tray causes a so-called rattling noise.
In the conventional disk changer, in a connection mode in which the spindle and the turntable are connected to each other, the chassis is supported to the apparatus body merely by an operation lever. Namely, in the connection mode, for example, when a disk is attached or detached with respect to the turntable, it is feared that an unexpected load is applied to the tray, thus entering an unstable state. In this case, attaching/detaching operation of a disk with respect to the turntable becomes difficult.
In the above-described conventional disk changer, in a case in which a tray is formed into a rectangular shape having solid-angle portions, for example, because the tray rotates, a gap between each of turntables disposed on the tray and an opening portion of a panel must be made larger. Namely, in this case, since a user needs to stretch his or her hand to the turntable at a position that is separated from the opening portion of the panel, an attaching/detaching operation of a disk with respect to the turntable becomes difficult.
On the other hand, among conventional disk apparatuses, there has been provided a type of a disk apparatus in which an engaging member (balls, coil springs, and the like) for positioning a disk on a mounting surface of a turntable is provided at the turntable. Then, in order to position (attach) a disk on the mounting surface of the turntable, the disk must pass through the engaging member.
When a disk is incompletely attached to the turntable, information recorded on the disk cannot be reproduced. Further, in a disk changer of a type in which a tray being rotated, when a disk is incompletely attached to a turntable disposed on the tray, it is feared that, during a rotation of the tray, the disk flies away from the turntable due to a centrifugal force.
As shown in FIG. 59, a disk changer 300 of a type can be thought of, comprising a plurality of supporting portions 305 on which turntables 302 each having the disk 10 mounted thereon are disposed, and a tray 304 that is formed in a plan into a triangular configuration having solid-angle portions 304A. The tray 304 is rotatably disposed at the disk changer 300.
In the disk changer 300 shown in FIG. 59, as shown in FIG. 60, when the tray 304 is rotated to change the disk, one of the solid-angle portions 304A protrudes from single dot lines of FIG. 60. Therefore, the width of a base 301 of the disk changer 300 must be longer twice as much as a length LC. Namely, the width of the base 301 requires twice a maximum radius LA of the tray 304, i.e., twice a distance between a rotational center PA of the tray 304 and a vertex of each solid-angle portion 304A.
Further, conventionally, as a disk holding apparatus for holding a disk at a turntable, a ball-chuck mechanism is provided at a trunk portion of the turntable. As shown in FIGS. 76 and 77, the ball-chuck mechanism comprises balls 474, and coil springs 476 for protruding portions of the balls 474 from a trunk portion 471 of a turntable 470.
When the disk 10 shown in FIG. 77 is attached to the turntable 470, the balls 474 are pressed by an inner diameter of the disk 10 so that the disk 10 is moved over the balls 474 and mounted on a mounting portion 472 of the turntable 470. When the disk 10 is mounted on the mounting portion 472, the balls 474 are popped out by the urging force of the coil springs 476. Namely, since the balls 474 abut the disk 10 and press the disk 10 toward the mounting portion 472, the disk 10 can reliably be held at the turntable 470.
In the ball-chuck mechanism shown in FIGS. 76 ad 77, when the disk 10 is detached from the turntable 470, the disk 10 has been forcibly detached from the trunk portion 471 of the mounting portion 472 to resist the urging force of the coil springs 476 applying to the balls 474.
When the disk 10 engaged by the balls 474 is forcibly detached from the turntable 470, the disk 10 is prone to be damaged so that a careful handling is needed during the detachment of the disk 10.
In order to solve the aforementioned facts, it is considered to reduce the urging force of the coil springs. However, in this case, when a shock is applied to the apparatus body, it is feared that the disk 10 is easily ejected from the trunk portion 471.